by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson's season is over because of a severed Achilles tendon, but cut-resistant Kevlar socks might have been able to have protected him during Wednesday's incident.

"They are available," Senators general manager Bryan Murray said during a Thursday news conference. "We have them in stock. The players find them bulky to fit into their skates, and they don't do it. Some guys play with bare feet in their skates and some people wear the light socks and that was Erik's case."

Karlsson went down when Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke's skate cut him as the two went into the boards. The reigning Norris Trophy winner suffered a 70% cut of the tendon, had surgery and will be out three to four months.

"It's hard to Kevlar every part that's open," Detroit Red Wings forward Daniel Cleary said, "but I think that long shirts and socks should be (worn), for sure. Instead of a severed tendon, it's stitches. It'd alleviate -- it's like a bullet-proof vest. It'd probably still hurt you and leave a mark, but not as deep."

Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson usually wears Kevlar socks but stopped a couple of games ago because the socks, which are a little bit heavy, were rubbing against his skin.

"My ankles got really sore from wearing them," Ericsson said. "But I will get into them as soon as I can again. I wear Kevlar sleeves, too, during games, just because of what happened to Helmer and Modano (Darren Helm and Mike Modano suffered severe cuts on their arms). I don't mind the socks, it's just that they were starting to wear on my ankles, and that's why I had to stop for a little bit."

NHL players are not required to wear visors or other additional equipment that could further protect from dangers on the ice.

"We've got skate guards that defensemen should be wearing and I look around and not many are wearing them," Murray said. "They want to be able to play at a high speed and they think some of this stuff is cumbersome so they take the risk of not wearing them."